


Make It Up

by nagi_schwarz



Series: Paint The Sky With Stars [37]
Category: Night World - Fandom, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Witches, Crossover, Fusion, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 23:20:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7457646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the comment_fic prompt: "Stargate Multiverse, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Vampire AU."</p><p>While John is in the brig, he plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Make It Up

Woolsey had listened, but not carefully enough, to what Carson had told him about the Night World, because he sent a different marine to feed John every day. They were young marines, from the newest wave, who knew him the least and were the least attached to him on a personal level. They weren’t nearly as upset by John’s being removed from command as, say, Teldy and Vega and Franklin were. So they didn’t balk at bringing him food in the brig, didn’t get apologetic, didn’t stay to chat.  
  
They also put little stock in John’s vampirism. They were awed by Ronon and Lorne’s shapeshifting, Carson’s magic, but John’s being a vampire was still unreal to them. Not to mention the fact they’d had bitter experiences with girlfriends forcing to read or watch Twilight.  
  
So little Corporal Lopez was unprepared when John put the whammy on him. Everyone - even Carson - seemed to have forgotten that when John wasn’t a vampire, he wasn’t just a normal human, he was a witch. Being half-vampire, however, amplified some of his magical powers. What Elizabeth had called his thrall was actually telepathic hypnosis. It was so much easier when a man had Redfern eyes.  
  
At precisely 0700 AST, Corporal Lopez ambled into the brig with a tray of food. John rose up - he did calisthenics every day to stay fit - and placed himself in front of the spot in the force field where a gap opened large enough to hand the cafeteria tray through.  
  
“Morning, Corporal,” John said.  
  
Lopez nodded once, kept his gaze fixed on John. Teldy had given the marines strict orders not to talk to him, not to interact with him, to be on alert. So John was polite, patiently desensitizing the marines to his voice and presence, and today, he caught Lopez’s gaze. Held it. And reeled him in.  
  
Took the food, because it would look strange if he didn’t.  
  
Lopez’s gaze went blank, and his body went lax, and when John ordered him to come closer, he did. John issued several more telepathic commands, and Lopez stretched out one hand, reached into the gap in the force field.  
  
John pounced. He had to be careful, only drink a little, enough to start building his strength, not so much that it’d make Lopez weak. When he’d taken enough - it was hard to gauge, now that he was an adult instead of a growing teen - he swiped his tongue over the puncture wounds in Lopez’s wrist, wiped Lopez’s memory, and when he retreated to the other side of the cell, apple in hand, Lopez had no memory and no mark to tell of John’s feeding on him, and he walked away.  
  
That was how it went for days. A constantly changing team of Marines meant John only fed on each of them once, that they would have uniform reports of interacting with them, that there was no risk of a blood bond from repeated feedings. Every day, John fed a little bit, and every day, he felt his vampire strength returning, his power awakening. His supernatural speed and reflexes wouldn’t get him out of the force field, but once he was strong enough, he could control a Marine long-term, get the kid to let him out of the brig. And then he’d go find Lorne. He still knew the gate address to Sateda. Forsaken though Lorne might have been, he was still afraid, still weak. And John wasn’t any old vampire. He was a Redfern, a Redfern with Harman blood in him, and he was preparing. When he wasn’t doing PT or prodding his vampiric gifts to full throttle, he was meditating, was practicing what magic he had. He’d always had a gift for wind and air; he’d always been afraid of fire. Water and earth were practical, useful for staying alive or staying cool. He’d read Thea’s email. He could try to learn witchfire.

Finally, after a month in the brig, John was ready. He knew if he followed through with this, he’d lose everything - his entire career, his life back on Earth. He’d never get back to Earth. But he didn’t dare leave the Pegasus Galaxy vulnerable to the likes of a shapeshifter with magic. If the people of Pegasus were afraid of the Wraith, the Wraith would be afraid of Evan Lorne.  
  
Every time John closed his eyes, he heard his father’s voice. _Any shapeshifter with magic must be put down immediately._ Patrick Sheppard had been misguided about a lot of things - what John was supposed to do with his life, what his place in the Night World and human world should be - but that was one of the truest things he’d ever told John.  
  
Today, when John opened his eyes and positioned himself in front of the force field, he would be ready to do what he had to, to protect both Pegasus and Atlantis - and Earth.  
  
But it wasn’t a Marine who came bearing John’s food.  
  
It was Rodney.  
  
“John,” Rodney said, “I know what you’re doing. Don’t do it.”  
  
John tilted his head, eased past the walls he’d built around his own mind - and came up against a brick tower surrounding Rodney’s mind. “Do what?” Walls? When had Rodney built walls? John had kept his mental distance so Rodney wouldn't find out about his plans, but -  
  
“Whatever crazy thing it is you’re planning.” Rodney caught John’s gaze and held it. “Listen, I believe you.”  
  
“You do?” Did Rodney know his plans after all?  
  
“I do. And I want to help you. But you have to listen to me.”  
  
“I’m listening,” John said. Rodney’s heart was pounding, he was nervous, but he wasn’t lying, not that John could tell, and he’d always been able to tell, even with regular, dulled senses.  
  
“You can’t leave Atlantis. For this to work, you have to stay here. Teldy’s still in command - they’re going to remove you from the chain of command, like they originally planned with Sumner. From here on out, you’re just a human light switch, and that’s okay, because it means you’ll be with me basically twenty-seven hours a day, eight days a week.”  
  
John searched Rodney’s gaze for a long time, and then he nodded. “I understand.” Rodney didn't know what John's plans were, but he knew John well enough to know he had plans.  
  
“Good. Now, I’m going to let you out. Don’t do anything crazy,” Rodney said. He reached out, tapped the control panel, and the force field vanished.  
  
John saw, behind Rodney, in the doorway, were several armed Marines. Rodney unlocked the cell door, and John raised his hands in surrender, stepped out.  
  
 _Thank you,_ he said.  
  
 _For what?_ Rodney asked.  
  
 _For believing me._  
  
 _I trust you,_ Rodney said, _and I saw your memories. I know why you’re afraid of Lorne. I want to help you protect Atlantis, Pegasus, and Earth._  
  
“Let’s go, Colonel,” one of the marines said.  
  
John let the Marines circle him and herd him out of the brig, Rodney outside of the human wall.  
  
 _Thank you,_ John said again, but he wasn’t sure Rodney heard him.  
  
He wasn’t sure he was supposed to hear Rodney’s _I missed you_ either.  
  
John would have to make it up to him.


End file.
